The Rimac Nevera R Founder’s Edition is limited to just ten examples, announced at a private gathering during Monterey Car Week in 2025. But to understand what these ten cars mean, it is necessary to go back to the beginning: a broken BMW, a garage, and a group of people in their twenties who had never built a car before.
In a new film released by Rimac Automobili, founder and president Mate Rimac speaks candidly about the Nevera and what it cost to bring it into existence. “This car for me is a mountain, Mount Everest of blood, sweat and tears of all the people who have been involved to make it happen,” he says. The Nevera was the world’s first true road-going electric hypercar with 2,000 horsepower — developed by an inexperienced young team, in a country with no automotive industry, with virtually no money. “Basically shouldn’t have happened,” says Mate. “It’s a glitch in the matrix that this exists.”
Rimac’s trajectory from Concept_One to Nevera — and now to the Nevera R — charts one of the most dramatic rises in the modern automotive industry. What began as a small, experimental venture has evolved into a 2,000-strong company headquartered at a sprawling campus in Zagreb, where traditional craftsmanship meets advanced manufacturing. Within its walls, hand-stitched interiors coexist with fully automated battery production lines, reflecting the brand’s dual identity as both artisan and innovator.
The Nevera didn’t just mark Rimac’s arrival; it redefined expectations. As the world’s first all-electric hypercar, it went on to claim more than 50 performance records, setting new benchmarks that reverberated across the industry. The Nevera R builds on that foundation, pushing the envelope once again. According to founder Mate Rimac, the company’s progress has had far-reaching consequences — shaping not only its own future, but also influencing projects like the Bugatti Tourbillon and establishing Croatia as a credible player in the automotive sector. The Founder’s Edition, he says, is intended as a tribute to that journey and the people behind it.
Limited to just ten examples, each Founder’s Edition begins with a highly personal design process at Rimac’s Zagreb campus. Owners collaborate directly with Mate Rimac, Design Director Frank Heyl, and the in-house team, using advanced V-RED visualization tools to craft entirely bespoke specifications. No two cars are alike. One features a cabin finished entirely in purple leather, while another mirrors a precise indigo tone drawn from its owner’s collection. A shared design theme runs through the series, including a two-tone exterior with an ultra-fine central roof stripe — just two millimetres at its narrowest — alongside subtle nods to Rimac’s signature motifs and circuit-inspired detailing. Inside, custom embroidery marks three defining moments in the company’s history.
Ownership extends well beyond the car itself. Founder’s Edition clients are effectively inducted into an inner circle, with privileged access to Rimac and Bugatti Rimac operations. Benefits include invitations to private previews, performance demonstrations, and record attempts, as well as direct engagement with company leadership on future developments. It’s a level of involvement rarely offered, even at the highest tiers of the hypercar world.
Driving the car is treated with equal seriousness. Each owner receives specialist training from Rimac’s own test drivers — the same team responsible for validating the Nevera’s extreme capabilities — and every example is personally delivered by Mate Rimac. The first handover took place in January 2026 at The I.C.E. St. Moritz, where the car was unveiled against the frozen lake, accompanied by Rimac’s own extensively driven Nevera.
Technically, the Nevera R represents the apex of the platform. Its quad-motor setup produces 2,107 horsepower, managed by an advanced all-wheel torque vectoring system. The result is staggering performance: 0–60 mph in just 1.66 seconds and a top speed of 431.45 km/h (268.2 mph). Aerodynamic revisions generate 15 percent more downforce than the standard Nevera, while new Michelin Cup 2 tyres sharpen handling, cutting understeer and increasing lateral grip. In 2025 alone, the car secured 24 independently verified world records.
As the most exclusive iteration of the 40-car Nevera R production run, the Founder’s Edition stands not just as a technical showcase, but as a statement of how far Rimac has come — and how far it intends to go.
Above contents © 2026 Rimac Group Ltd. reviewed and edited by Rex McAfee , @rexmcafee
